Last verified: 14 August 2026
The ICYF International Media Training Camp is a residential training programme in journalism, digital media and storytelling, held at the Antalya Alaaddin Keykubat Youth Camp in Antalya, Republic of Türkiye. It runs as two separate camps in autumn 2026, one for young men and one for young women, and a total of 200 participants will be selected, 100 for each.
Applications close on 30 August 2026. The programme is organised by the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye, in partnership with TRT Journalism for Juniors (J4J) and FOKUS PLUS.
Read this before you open the application form
Three rules in the official call are strict enough to end an application on their own, and none of them are buried in fine print. They deserve reading twice.
The form must be completed in English. No other language is accepted. The call states this in capital letters at the top of the page. If your English is workable but not confident, that is not a reason to switch languages, it is a reason to have someone proofread before you submit.
This is not a fully funded camp. International participants pay for their own flights and are reimbursed up to $250 USD afterwards. Participants living in Türkiye pay their own domestic travel and are reimbursed up to 3500 Turkish Lira. If your return ticket to Antalya costs more than the cap, the difference is yours.
Priority goes to applicants who can cover their own flight ticket. The call says this outright. It means your ability to fund the journey is part of the selection picture, not just a logistics detail settled after you are accepted.
On top of that, obtaining a visa, including the fees, is entirely the participant’s responsibility.
One general caution worth adding: applications are submitted through the official ICYF platform and the call names no application fee anywhere. Anyone asking you to pay them to secure a place is not part of this process.
Also Check: Young Leaders Union Australia 2026 in Sydney
What the organisers do cover:
The hosting side of the camp is genuinely covered, and the package is not thin:
- accommodation for the full duration of the camp
- food throughout
- city tour costs connected to local hospitality
- all local transfers to and from the airport or bus station, arranged and paid for by the host organiser
- health insurance coverage for the period of the camp
- the training programme itself, delivered by experts in journalism, digital media and storytelling
So the realistic personal budget is your flight above the reimbursement cap, your visa fee, and any spending money you want on the ground.
Two camps, two sets of dates
The camps are run separately and you attend the one that applies to you:
- Young Men Camp: 16 to 21 October 2026
- Young Women Camp: 28 October to 2 November 2026
Both take place at the same venue in Antalya. The official call notes that dates may vary depending on the process flow, so treat these as firm enough to plan around but not so firm that you buy an unchangeable ticket before your acceptance is confirmed.
Who can apply:
The eligibility list is short and every line is a filter:
- aged between 18 and 25 years
- a citizen of any OIC Member State, or a member of a Muslim community in a country outside the OIC
- able to demonstrate proficiency in English
- able to show interest in media, research, storytelling or community engagement
- has never joined the ICYF media camp in the previous year
That last point matters for anyone who attended before. Previous participation in the prior year rules you out, so this is aimed at bringing new people into the network rather than repeating the same cohort.
Note also what is not on the list. There is no requirement to be a student, no degree requirement, and no demand for professional media experience. Demonstrated interest is the standard, which puts community organisers, campus journalists, content creators and volunteers on a level footing with media graduates.
How the 200 places are decided:
A Selection Committee reviews applications against the eligibility rules first, then assesses the rest on five stated criteria:
- motivation
- leadership potential
- creativity
- commitment to social impact
- balanced regional representation
If the committee wants more information from an applicant, it can add an online interview as a final stage of selection, so keep an eye on the email address you apply with through September.
That fifth criterion is the one applicants tend to overlook. Balanced regional representation means places are spread across regions rather than awarded purely on ranked scores, so in practice your strongest competition is other applicants from your own country and region.
The timeline from now to October:
The official process flow runs as follows:
- August 2026: call for applications, closing 30 August 2026 at 23:59 GMT +3, Istanbul time
- September 2026: evaluation and selections
- 25 to 30 September 2026: announcement of selected participants
- October 2026: implementation of the camp
The call flags that these dates may shift depending on how the process runs. What that means practically is that the gap between hearing you are accepted and flying out can be as short as two weeks for the young men camp. If your passport needs renewing or your visa route is slow, start on that now rather than after the announcement.
Applications are submitted through the ICYF platform at icyfdigital.com.
How to make your application competitive:
The five selection criteria are published, which is more than most programmes give you. Write directly to them.
- Answer the criteria by name. Motivation, leadership potential, creativity and commitment to social impact are four separate things. An application that shows passion but no leadership example has answered one of four.
- Show the work rather than describing it. A link to a published article, a podcast, a campus newspaper, a documentary short or a community campaign you ran does more than a paragraph claiming interest in media.
- Be specific about your own community. Since regional balance is part of selection, an application rooted in a concrete local issue and how you would report on it stands out against a generic statement about the power of media.
- Address the flight question honestly. Given that priority goes to those who can cover their ticket, being clear about your situation is better than leaving it ambiguous.
- Have someone proofread the English before you submit. The language rule is absolute, and a form full of errors undercuts an application that claims proficiency.
- Apply well before 30 August. A deadline at 23:59 Istanbul time may fall in the middle of your night, and platform traffic tends to spike in the last hours.
Frequently asked questions
I turn 26 shortly before the camp. Am I still eligible?
The call states an age range of 18 to 25 but does not say whether age is assessed on the application date, the selection date, or the first day of camp. That ambiguity matters if your birthday falls in the autumn. Rather than guessing and losing your place at a late stage, email youthcamps@icyforum.org and get the answer in writing before you submit.
I applied and heard nothing. Does that mean I was rejected?
Effectively yes. Only selected participants receive an acceptance email, so there is no rejection notice to wait for. Those chosen get an email confirmation with the camp programme details, and a general announcement is also shared through the ICYF website and its social media accounts. If the announcement window has passed and nothing has arrived in your inbox, check your spam folder once, then treat it as a no.
Will ICYF help with my visa application?
Only with paperwork, and only if you ask. The organisers can provide an invitation letter to support your visa application on request, which is often the document consulates want to see for a short visit of this kind. The visa itself, and every fee attached to it, remains entirely your responsibility. Request the letter as soon as you are selected rather than a week before you travel.
Health insurance is provided, so do I still need travel insurance?
Yes, if you want to be covered outside the camp itself. The organisers provide health insurance for the duration of the camp. Anything beyond that, explicitly including travel insurance, has to be arranged and paid for by you. That gap covers your flights, transit and anything that happens before you arrive or after you leave.
Do I get the certificate just for showing up?
No. The Certificate of Participation, jointly issued by ICYF and the programme partners, goes to participants who complete and fully attend the camp, so partial attendance puts it at risk. There is a further reason to stay engaged throughout: outstanding participants may be considered for future ICYF leadership and media initiatives, which makes the camp a possible entry point into a longer relationship rather than a single week in Antalya.
